Memories of Christmas: Part 3

When my son was a child, we went to my mother’s home from Big Spring, Texas to Northern Nevada to spend Christmas with my family. My son was eight years old, and hung out with my younger brothers, his uncles. They played in the snow, went car hooding, where you tied a rope to your pick up truck, and an old car hood, and went up and down the country roads so fast that you would be thrown off in the snow banks.

When my brothers first asked if they could take him, I told them not without me. I was thirty at the time and scared to death they were going to kill us both. We had a ball.

During this time in our world there is a lot more going on than dangerous rides behind an old pick up truck in the snow. We are dealing with friends dying, people we’ve known for years, all of a sudden not there anymore.

Christmas is especially hard to lose loved ones, because we may even have to deal with left over presents under the tree with their names on them. So how do you deal with the stress in the season of peace and goodwill to men?

Well, I’m so glad you asked. When I think of those gone on before me, I think of what Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you.” He came at this time as a baby placed in a feed trough as the Bread of Life. He lived that perfect life as the only Begotten Son of God. Then He took the most dangerous journey into death for you and me to forgive our sin debt. He rose again victorious over that death.

When I think of people in this season who pass on to Heaven, I realize they took their last breath here and their next breath in the most beautiful of places. They get to spend Christmas with Jesus this year.